AWADmail Issue 247
February 4, 2007
A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day
and Other Interesting Tidbits about Words and Languages
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From: Randy Webster (rwebster ci.portland.or.us)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--cynosure
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/cynosure.html
Some of us who are luddite mariners, sceptical of the reliability of
electronics at sea, still consider Polaris a valuable navigational aid.
Convenient as they are, it takes very little saltwater to fry a laptop!
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From: M. Stewart (indiansmary aol.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--cynosure
In re Thurber's comment, "It is better to have loafed and lost ...", I had
a friend in college who was much taller than the boyfriend (whom she later
married) and she would say, "It is better to have loved a short than never
to have loved at all."
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From: David Maxwell (david_maxwell mac.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--chatoyant
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/chatoyant.html
I learned this word when I was about 11, thanks to Ian Fleming. For
those who would assume that the James Bond novels are ham-handed
descriptions of derring-do I offer this from "Diamonds are Forever":
The eyes themselves had the rare quality of chatoyance. When jewels
have chatoyance the colour in the lustre changes with movement and
the light, and the colour of this girl's eyes seemed to vary between
a light grey and a deep grey-blue.
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From: Marjo van Patten (marjovp sbcglobal.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--dragoon
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/dragoon.html
Technically, a dragoon was a cavalryman who dismounted to fight. They
were armed with a carbine (a short barreled rifle) and a special
long-barreled pistol -- useful as a bludgeon if all else failed.
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From: Maria Gladwin (mariaa namc.co.za)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--bulimia
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/bulimia.html
As a woman who has experienced bulimia, I can safely say that it is not
only about "lest they become fat" but as a result of conditions and
circumstances that lead them to believe that they are not acceptable,
especially during the unstable teenage years. This may lead to years of
guilt and emotional instability that could progress into anorexia and
possibly even death. I know it could be seen as a "waste of food", but
some sensitivity from society could help clear the stigma and shame
around this condition, which would help sufferers to "come clean" and
seek help towards recovery.
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From: Chris Hope (thehopes-chris kc.rr.com)
Subject: hootenanny revisited
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/awad/awadmail243.html
I knew that AWAD was big, but I did not realize how big. I am the webmaster
for the all-woman blue grass group, the Hootin' Annies. A few weeks ago,
in response to that word, I mentioned, and you published, that the "Hootin'
Annies" were my favorite girl band. And you published the web address.
The response to that comment from your AWAD readers was so significant
that Yahoo-GeoCities shut our website down permanently, saying that it
was generating too much traffic. (And, since they make their money selling
ad space on our site, I thought that that was a good thing.)
So the new site is http://www.TheHootinAnniesKC.com
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From: Bob Good (bob_good urmc.rochester.edu)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--Rip Van Winkle
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/rip_van_winkle.html
I never thought that I would be writing to you about one of your words
of the day, but I realized this morning that I have my own experience of
being a "Rip Van Winkle". I had a full beard for over thirty years before
I finally shaved it off as a "last wish" for my mother before she died at
89 years young!
My last memory of shaving was with the old individual Gillette razor blades
that you put by hand into the razor. I remember many nicks and cuts trying
to get to the difficult angles around the neck and chin. I was sure that I
was going to have little pieces of tissue paper on my face daily to stop
the small bleeds. What a surprise to discover the new four bladed razors
that move effortlessly across my face with essentially no chance of
leaving a cut. Shaving takes me a minute or two each morning and I've
had nary a nick. What a difference thirty years of technology can make!
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From: Eric Shackle (eshackle ozemail.com.au)
Subject: Hidden Animals
Talented British 3D artist Julian Beever has surprised New Yorkers with an
apparent excavation in Union Square. For further details please see the
February issue of the World's First Multi-National e-book.
http://bdb.co.za/shackle
............................................................................
He that uses many words for explaining any subject, doth, like the
cuttlefish, hide himself for the most part in his own ink. -John Ray,
naturalist (1627-1705)
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